Two days later.
Nightfall descended, and the outer winds of Chouyun Pass howled with a biting chill.
Three cloaked figures quietly approached the edge of the Celestial Abyss.
Leading the way was, naturally, Chen Ye who was in charge of guiding them.
Bai Li kept Little Susu protected at his side, one hand resting on the ordinary hilt of his sword, his body radiating Sword Intent cautiously but imperceptibly.
Logically speaking,
none of the Demon Cultivators around Chouyun Pass could stand against him.
But with his daughter by his side, he couldn’t afford to be careless.
As they got closer to the Celestial Abyss, the patrols of Emotion Crossing Sect Demon Cultivators grew more numerous.
Occasionally, several subtle Foundation Establishment Stage Divine Senses crisscrossed through the air, making the defense extremely strict.
"Be careful, there are two patrols ahead."
Bai Li frowned slightly, conveying a secret message.
This time in Qi Kingdom, his purpose was to quietly enter the Celestial Abyss to gather intelligence without alerting anyone or causing conflict with the Emotion Crossing Sect.
Chen Ye’s mind stirred slightly, silently splitting a wisp of Divine Sense to lightly touch the Emotion Crossing Seed within his Divine Soul.
In an instant, a cold, impatient voice echoed in his mind:
"Qing Xuan... you’re moving too slow! Is this the help you’ve brought? Within half an incense stick, I shall withdraw the nearby cultivators; if you dare to feign compliance, I need only a thought to obliterate your Divine Soul!"
In the eyes of this future high-ranking member of Emotion Crossing Sect, this Emotion Crossing Seed was a death warrant controlling his life.
Yet for Chen Ye, it was nothing but the perfect access pass.
Easily gaining Tuoba You’s trust.
Moreover,
in this world isolated from the outside, Tuoba You wasn’t worried about Chen Ye summoning help.
And no need, after all, everyone here was in the same boat, with the shared goal of leaving this world.
"I understand, I shall not fail what your lordship has entrusted." Chen Ye cooperated with a reply in his sea of consciousness, then severed the connection.
He turned his head, sending a secret message to Bai Li behind him:
"Brother Bai, stay close to me. It’s almost time for their shift change; we can use this gap to enter Broken Soul Gorge!"
Indeed,
soon after, the two patrol teams ahead just arrived at the changing shifts point.
Bai Li noticed this, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes, nodding silently.
He believed that Chen Ye, during his reconnaissance days around the Celestial Abyss, had clearly figured out the Demon Cultivators’ patrol patterns and blind spots during shifts.
"Brother Chen’s investigation skills are truly remarkable; he must have endured quite a bit during the day."
Bai Li conveyed quietly, following closely with Little Susu behind Chen Ye.
The three managed to safely enter Broken Soul Gorge without incident; once there, the traces of Demon Cultivators disappeared.
"Perhaps due to lost memory, my perception is more keen than most, Brother Bai, forgive me." Chen Ye said without changing his expression, pulling the stumbling Little Susu.
This girl was too short.
And the Celestial Abyss terrain was treacherous, making her little legs clumsy.
The little girl pressed her lips together tightly, relying on the irrational intuition from her Tongming Heart Acupoint Body, faintly sensing a fleeting, malodorous malice from Chen Ye moments ago.
But this malice was not from Chen Ye, but... from someone else.
"Big Brother, are you secretly doing something bad behind my back?"
Little Susu whispered fiercely into Chen Ye’s ear.
Strange.
She could feel that Chen Ye surely bore no malice towards her, but... who else could it be? Could it be Qin Jiaming?
Oddly enough.
Qin Jiaming has seemingly disappeared these past days.
Yet both her father and Chen Ye acted as if nothing had happened, as if that person never existed.
"Big Brother is nearly risking his life, how can he find the time to do bad deeds?"
Chen Ye gave Little Susu a helpless look.
What did she mean by secretly doing bad things?
This girl’s words made him seem deceitful.
"Hmph, Big Brother is naturally someone who does bad things!"
Daring to give her a look, with future actions unpredictable, Little Susu wouldn’t dare imagine!
"Brother Chen, ahead lies Broken Soul Gorge. We must proceed with caution."
Bai Li spoke up, interrupting the bickering.
He strode ahead of Chen Ye, gripping the ordinary-looking long sword in his hand.
The terrain ahead suddenly descended steeply, like a beast opening its enormous mouth.
The three progressed onwards.
Mists were refracted by the light from below, appearing like glass, while dark red bloodstains and scattered limbs and remains littered the path sides.
The corpses here died tragically, but various signs indicated they perished not long ago.
"This... What is going on!"
Though Bai Li was calm by nature, his face changed dramatically at this moment,
"Emotion Crossing Sect people have gone mad, using live humans to traverse these spatial turbulence! What exactly are they plotting in the depths of the Celestial Abyss, sacrificing so much blood?"
Little Susu reacted differently from her father.
Her face suddenly turned grave, staring into the depths of the Celestial Abyss, speechless.
Chen Ye noticed the little girl’s oddness, asking gently:
"What’s wrong, Susu? Are you scared?"
Little Susu shook her head: "No, I’m just pondering why there are bodies here."
How could she be scared?
She just felt something was amiss... These lights, clearly from spatial fragments after the Celestial Abyss explosion!
"Could this place be the sole intersection between the outside world and this realm?"
Little Susu mused to herself.
"The space here... Is it disturbed to such an extent?"
Bai Li tentatively stepped forward, sensing a faint resistance.
His intuition told him,
The depths of the Celestial Abyss were extremely dangerous, and entering it would spell misfortune.